From the introduction: As their predecessors in the 18th century quickly realized, the Dinos of the Pre-Industrial Age learned that while the Humans were often equally bestowed with the same intelligence as themselves, the Humans possessed a feature that made them a logical choice for use as working stock; the nimbleness of their fingers and the reasonable length of their arms. But unlike those Dinos of old, there is a growing concern about the ethical and political ramifications of keeping the Humans disenfranchised through the sheer ferocity of simply being Dinos.